


Flying Blind

by TheSkyIsALie



Series: Typhlotic [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Blind Character, Blind!Tim, Blindness, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Jason is a Sweetheart, M/M, No Smut, Tim Is Cute, loss of vision
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 11:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10661742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSkyIsALie/pseuds/TheSkyIsALie
Summary: In the wake of a catastrophic loss, it's the path Jason sets that Tim follows back to safety.





	Flying Blind

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU I came up with ages ago and quickly ran out of ideas for, though I decided to post what little I have, anyway. If anyone has any ideas and would like to hand me a little insparation to write more you'd be very welcome (come and chat on tumblr at the-sky-is-a-lie). I'm very willing to turn this into a small series if I ever end up with enough content worthy of further posting.
> 
> Please enjoy!

One night, Tim showed up at one of Jason’s safe houses. The one the elder had decided to stay at that night, of course. The little ex Robin made a whole lot of noise making his way up the fire escape, and was anything but subtle about getting in through the kitchen window.

At first, Jason had been startled by the noise, immediately jumping to the conclusion that it was some sort of enemy, as none of his adoptive family would make so much noise even if they wanted him to know they were there. He had made his way into the kitchen, quickly and silently – a gun held tightly in his hand. He relaxed a little once he found Red Robin practically falling onto the window sill and then counter top – slipping off to barely land on his feet on the tiled floor.

“Tim?”

Tim straightened, jerked to attention like he hadn’t known Jason was there, which was… odd. Jason wondered if he’d been poisoned with something, delirious or lost in his own mind – but nothing about the younger’s movements screamed ‘drugged’, and Tim had yet to act in any way.

“Jason?” Tim replied, sounding just as surprised to find Jason as Jason was to find him. He stood shakily, swiping at the air behind him before his hand landed on the counter top to steady himself.

“What, you didn’t think I’d be here? This is my place.” Jason huffed.

“Didn’t know you were in the room. I- Jay, I can’t-” Tim started to stutter, face scrunching cutely behind his mask, as if he was about to cry. 

“Hey, Tim, calm down, yeah? What’s the problem?” Jason asked, suddenly worried. He and Tim weren’t the closest in the family, but they knew each other well enough. In any serious matter – anything work related, pressing or dangerous – Tim was the last person to break, he didn’t cry unless it was only his problem he was dealing with.

Jason moved closer to Tim, surprised when the younger didn’t react until he lay a hand on his shoulder.

“I can’t see, Jay. I can’t see – I’m blind.” Tim panicked, reaching up to messily pull at his mask until it peeled off of the skin around his eyes. His pupils were clouded over, pale and unseeing, his eyes red around the edges from crying. Jason could tell – Tim probably could too – that this wasn’t something that was curable. Whatever had happened was permanent.

“Christ, Babybird. Shit.” Jason couldn’t think of what to do, how to react. He pulled Tim into a hug when the younger started to hiccup his cries quietly and, Tim latching on to Jason when he did.

“How’d you get here?” He muttered into Tim’s hair, half expecting not to be heard.

“The trackers I have, they can send vibrations into my suit.” Tim all but whispered, seemingly unable to do much else, “It selected which one was closest and I followed the pulse, but I didn’t know which one of you it was.”

“Okay, Babybird, alright. Let’s go into the main room, yeah? We’ll sit down and I’ll make you some tea.”

Tim nodded into Jason’s shirt and allowed the elder to step away from him, but reached out when Jason moved out of his reach entirely.

“Jay, wait – don’t.” Jason took that moment to fully realise just how frightened Tim actually was. Thinking about it, Tim’s sight was everything – without it, he couldn’t be Red Robin. He could barely be Tim Drake-Wayne. Jason grabbed his outstretched hand.

“Come on, it’s fine. I’ll lead you, okay?”

Tim nodded silently.

___

 

At first, Tim had been melancholy while Jason had helped him out of the Red Robin suit and into a borrowed pair of his own sweat pants and a jumper. He’d been quiet and pensive and only let out small sniffles from crying or quiet murmurs of assent or disagreement when Jason spoke to him.

Jason had been patient, unsure exactly how to broach the subject of what to do next – both in the near and far future – without Tim seeming willing to speak yet. It was so obvious how fragile the younger was at that moment, and Jason was trying desperately not to break him any further.

Though it was only after around ten minutes of the two being seated quietly on Jason’s sofa – curled together so Tim could trust he wasn’t in danger and with a late night radio station playing quietly on the television, that Tim had seemed to have had enough of staying quiet.

He’d fumbled to begin – as if unsure as to how to start a conversation about something so critical and remain to seem incurious. Jason had been patient still – giving Tim time to work out his wording before they fell into a steady rhythm of comfortable conversation, voices hushed as if they were talking secrets.

They had talked about how Tim wouldn’t be able to be Red Robin anymore – how any desk jobs they’d normally take up when injured required watching cameras or reading case files. Jason was surprised to see how oddly at ease with the situation Tim was, once they began to talk. Sight was a devastating thing to lose, and obviously Tim felt that the same grief as any other person would – but, apparently, the alterations his life would be taking were far from the cause of his lamentation.

It wasn’t until their third round of tea, when they were beginning to talk solutions, that Jason noticed Tim starting to seem uncomfortable. At first he had thought it had been him – smothering Tim too much with trying to help him and not allowing him enough room to breathe and think and come to his own conclusions. Or maybe it was his presence all together? Tim had probably been hoping to stumble into the apartment somebody else – maybe Dick or Stephanie, someone the younger would know he could trust.

He and Tim had come a long way since Jason had come back from the grave, but if Tim didn’t feel like he could trust him without his vision to help him keep his guard, that was hardly something Jason could blame him for.

It wasn’t until Jason noticed Tim’s release of an annoyed huff while feeling around on the coffee table for his mug that Jason realised that Tim was distressed with the help he needed from Jason. Though, all the elder had done so far was lead him about the apartment and physically show him where everything was in the bathroom before he used it, but it seemed to frustrate the younger nonetheless.

Whether it was the irritation of not being able to do simple tasks alone or the uncomfortability of it being Jason to aid him, the elder had no idea.

Jason was quick to swipe Tim’s mug from the coffee table and place it into his hands. For now, if Tim wasn’t happy needing to ask for Jason’s help, then Jason would have to be quick enough that Tim didn’t need to ask in the first place. Or perhaps he should just hand the younger off to another family member as soon as he could. There was no use keeping Tim with him if he wasn’t even comfortable around Jason anymore.

Tim had freaked out a little when Jason had suggested calling the manor, though.

“I don’t want them to know.” He’d said, voice suddenly quiet as he stuttered through half an explanation. “I want to work things out for myself, first. I don’t- the- B-Bruce and Damian, to see me like this… without ideas or solutions, so weak. I can’t, Jason.”

Jason had nodded, then paused when he remembered.

“It’s okay, Babybird, I get it.” He had said, placing his hand on the younger’s back and rubbing gently. Damian, as far as Jason knew him, would probably just take the piss – throw comments around without thought and dig Tim into an even deeper hole of doubt of self-worth. Bruce, well – there was never any clear way to tell how Bruce would react to anything, but it was the idea of cold disappointment that scared his previous Robins the most. Jason knew they all felt it – even Dick. It was the only real reason they kept secrets from him.

“What about Steph, or Dick? Do you wanna tell them now?”

Tim had shook his head quickly, bringing his knees up to curl his legs beside him. The clothes Jason had lent him for the night covered his hands and feet entirely.

“No, not yet, Jay. Just you.”

_Why him?_

Jason wanted desperately to know. Practically itched to ask. He guessed, if anything it was a mix of him already being there when Tim had tumbled into his apartment by chance and how he and Tim lacked the familiarity that the others did in their relationship. Tim had seemed a little out of it all night, maybe still in shock – as he seemed to be saying things he usually wouldn’t.

“Whatever you want, Babybird.”

___

 

Despite what people often seemed to think of him, Jason was actually a good person – his morals just weren’t bound as tight as the rest of his family. Knowing Tim was hurt and lost made him want to help him, of course – and there was a sense of wanting to atone for what he had previously put the younger through that made him more likely to act on his want. However, neither really explained why Jason found himself willing to drop his plans for the day and perhaps foreseeable future to make sure Tim got what he needed.

It was possibly the comfort of having Tim rely on and want after him as much as the younger had been, something people rarely did with Jason. He’d take what he could get.

“Jason!?”

Tim had slept in his bed with him the night before, mostly because it had been easier for the younger to know he was safe enough to sleep if he could trust Jason to be his eyes. When Jason had woke, he’d been curled around Tim, the third Robin balled up into his side equally. He’d slipped out of the bed slowly and taken a quick shower, leaving Tim to sleep in longer when he’d emerged.

Jason almost dropped his coffee on the table in his haste when Tim shouted, moving into the bedroom to get to Tim, where he’d found the younger sitting up in bed and turned towards the general direction of the doorway.

“You alright?” Jason asked, allowing himself to breath upon finding Tim okay. He probably could have worked out that Tim would call him when he woke up, if he’d have thought about it. Tim nodded slowly.

“I’m fine. I… Could you help me? I’d like to take a shower, please.”

Jason sighed, dragging a hand though his hair before smiling.

“Sure thing, Babybird – what do you want?” It was going to be a long day – probably a long week. Jason didn’t see Tim going back to his apartment, or the manor, anytime soon with him now struggling to even move about without somebody to guide him.

 

Jason watched the cloudy blue of Tim’s pupils flit about the room, as if trying to look at something he couldn’t see.

“Can I have clothes and a towel? And could you take me to the bathroom?” Tim had become a little more comfortable with asking after things since last night after Jason had made it clear he had no qualms helping the younger as much as he needed, which was a relief. Though from what Jason could tell the problem was more Tim getting frustrated with himself over being embarrassed about asking for Jason, now. It would have to be something they would work on while they were together.

It would take Tim some time to get used to any of this, and Jason was completely willing to be there to help him every step of the way.

___

 

“Maybe we should get you a guide dog?”

They were sitting on one of Gotham’s better kept public buses, headed towards the centre of the city and Tim’s apartment. Tim had been clung to Jason’s arm ever since they’d left the safe house, consequently having only tripped twice so far. They’d been getting a nasty look from an old couple at the front of the bus since they’d gotten on, though Jason’s sneer and deadly glare had apparently scared them off enough to not utter a word.

Tim had been reluctant to go out at all, but he couldn’t stay at Jason’s apartment without any of his own belongings. Jason’s bike was obviously out of the question with Tim’s confidence currently being so low while out in public, and Tim’s place was too far to walk easily, so the bus had been their best option.

“I guess…” Tim replied slowly after a long moment’s silence. “I’ve never had a pet before, I don’t know if I’d be very good at it.”

“What about Dick? You kept him.” Jason cut in, smiling when Tim surprised himself with a giggle, “I get what you mean, though. When I was little we kept a stray dog for a bit, it’s not so difficult.”

“I suppose. I’d have to have help, though.” Tim tilted his head up at Jason, though his pale eyes gazed just past the elder’s face.

“I can do that while you’re with me – we’ll have to start looking into it when we get back. C’mon, this is our stop.”

Tim stood when Jason did, keeping his hand tightly grasped around the elder’s arm as the bus pulled to a stop.

“Step.” Jason said as he held onto Tim’s arm while the younger took a tentative step down onto the pavement. He’d quickly learnt telling Tim where he was and what was going on was a good way for the younger to feel more comfortable outside of the apartment.

They arrived at Tim’s building after only one wrong turn as Tim reeled off street names and Jason tried to follow his directions. Tim had told Jason the security code for the penthouse in the elevator and they waited as they made their way up to the top floor.

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding, Tim stepping out with a new confidence at being in his own space and only a loose grip on Jason’s hand. That disappeared, of course, as soon as Tim pushed open the front door after unlocking it with his thumb print and a voice well known to all of the family called out his name.

“Tim?” Dick appeared out of the doorway to the kitchen, looking his usual cheerful self before he caught sight of Jason. “And Jay?” his brow furrowed as he glanced at their joined hands uncertainly. “What’s going on?”

From his distance, Dick obviously couldn’t see Tim’s eyes. The way they sifted about, unseeing – the pretty, cloudy blue marble reflecting the light from the window. Tim’s grip was tight on Jason’s hand once again, so the elder tugged him back to stand a little closer to him.

“What’re you doing here, Dick?” he asked, not completely unkindly, although the frustration was clear in his voice.

“Tim didn’t report in last night after his fight with Ivy. There was nothing wrong on his vitals, but I figured someone should check on him.” Dick looked at their hands again, and then the way Tim was turned into Jason slightly. “What’s going on?” he asked again.

Tim twitched at the sound of movement when Dick shifted forward.

“What do you want to do?” Jason asked Tim quietly, making it obvious Dick wasn’t included in this part of the conversation.

Tim’s head tilted up at the sound of his voice, possibly not having realised how close they were. The white of his pupils reflected the few seconds of panic in his blank gaze.

“We’ll tell him. We can hardly run off now.” Tim shrugged, “He was probably going to be the next to know, anyway.”

“To know what?” Dick could imagine what the two of them were hinting at, but didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Tim’s apparent unease was setting off alarms in his head that usually led to something more serious than a newly found relationship.

“Where is he?” Tim asked Jason, who didn’t miss the utter confusion on Dick’s face when he registered the question. Jason steadily led Tim over to Dick by his hand, Tim keeping his head turned to the ground the whole way.

Dick stood stock still, obviously baffled as to what was going on. Jason could admit it was probably a very strange situation for the eldest.

When Tim looked up, only being able to stare at where he guessed Dick was, he ended up gazing more at his neck than his face. Dick gasped, bending at the waist slightly to get to eyelevel with Tim, resting his hands on the younger’s shoulders. Jason could see the apprehension in Tim’s expression, the worry of how Dick would react.

Dick took a moment to really look into Tim’s eyes, filling in the blanks from the way they didn’t adjust to the light, or his close proximity – just cloudy blue and white pupils. As beautiful as they may be, it was still devastating.

“You’re blind?” Tim flinched at the words, sadness painting his face as tears prickled at the corners of his eyes as he nodded slowly. “Christ, babe, how’d this happen?” Dick pulled him into a hug, arms wrapping tightly around the younger, hand sliding into his hair to cradle his skull and cheek resting atop his head. Tim cried into his brother’s chest.

___

 

Sitting down with Dick and explaining what had happened had been a lot easier than it had with Jason. Mostly because he’d already done it once, partly because he’d been significantly more upset the first time.

Dick had listened, kept his hand in Tim’s so the younger knew where he was, like Jason had quietly suggested in the kitchen before they’d properly settled down to speak. Tim had explained how he’d lost his sight, that he didn’t want the rest of the family to know yet, and how he was staying with Jason for the time being.

“Are you sure?” Dick questioned, watching as Tim stretched the hand not being held out towards the coffee table with confusion. “You’re welcome at my place, if you’d like.” Tim nodded.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He smiled as Jason walked passed, obviously still packing things for Tim. He paused, picking up Tim’s mug and placing it in his outstretched hand without really looking, before carrying on into the kitchen. Dick blinked, because how long had Tim been like this, again? That almost looked practiced.

“Jason knows what he’s doing. I wasn’t expecting him to be so patient and willing to help me, but he’s being really… gentle.” Tim sipped his tea. He obviously had no idea whether Jason was in hearing range or not, though he didn’t seem to care.

Dick could see Jason through the door in the kitchen, smiling softly as he rooted through a draw. He could hear just fine.

“It’s up to you.” Dick admitted. He still wasn’t really a fan of Jason when Tim was concerned – he found it hard to trust him after the few murder attempts after the elder had come back from the dead, even if that was years ago now. He knew Jason wasn’t like that anymore, knew he was better, but there was still that itching at the back of his mind saying Tim wasn’t necessarily safe. He knew better than to listen to it.

Jason came back into the main room, his footsteps deliberately audible for Tim’s benefit, dropping a decently sized suitcase onto the rug.

“This should be enough. I don’t really know how long you’re staying, but we can always come back if need be.” Tim nodded, eyes closed. Dick released his hand, standing.

“I’ll be off, then. Gotta get back to the manor before I head back to the ‘Haven.” He said, turning to pull Tim into a quick good-bye hug. The younger let out a startled squeak of surprise at the sudden tug and contact he obviously hadn’t been expecting. Jason smacked the back of Dick’s head when the eldest let go.

“Warn him.” He grumbled as Dick pouted before switching victims, getting in the second of half-hug he could before Jason swatted at him again. Dick dodged, giggling and moving behind Tim to use him as a shield.

Tim stayed where he was, a look of slight confusion and exasperation on his face, obviously wondering exactly what was going on. Dick placed his hand on Tim’s shoulder.

“I’ll see you guys soon, yeah? Stay safe, Timmy.” He placed a quick kiss on the youngest’s cheek – something he knew he would never get away with were it Jason, before disappearing out the front door.

Jason huffed a breath.

“He’s an idiot.” He stated after a few seconds silence. Tim smiled.

“He is.”

Jason picked up the suitcase and reached for Tim’s hand. He was just about to suggest they left when the front door slammed open again.

“I just remembered.” Dick said, louder than he needed, “I stole on of Bruce’s cars to get here. Do you two want a lift home?”

“He’s also very good at proving me right.” Jason stated, not talking to Dick at all, before he led Tim out to the stolen vehicle.

___

 

Tim had been staying with Jason for a few days, and the two had quickly gotten used to a basic routine. Jason was in the kitchen making them lunch when a phone rang from somewhere in the house. Tim could recognise the ringtone as his, but where it was coming from he had no idea.

“Jason?” he called, shifting on the sofa to face the way he knew the kitchen was.

“Give me a second, I’ll get it for you.” Jason called back, Tim waiting a moment or two before the ringing got louder as Jason brought his phone into the room.

“It’s Bruce.” Jason said, warning Tim as the younger now had no way of checking the caller ID and tapping the ‘accept’ button on the screen before placing the phone in Tim’s awaiting hands.

“Hello?” Tim brought the phone to his ear.

“You haven’t been out for three nights now.” Was the answer, Tim huffed.

“It’s nice to hear from you, too.” He said, hearing Jason laugh – the echo to his voice indicating he was back in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” Tim frowned, because Bruce actually sounded worried. He doubted Dick had said anything to him, since he’d been asked not to, and he knew Jason hadn’t been in contact with anyone else in the family since they’d started living together.

“I’m alright, Bruce, I just can’t go out right now. I’ll explain soon, I just need to sort some things out first, okay?”

“Dick said you’re not living at your apartment for the time being.” Tim sucked in a breath, “Where are you staying?”

“With a friend.” Tim replied, for lack of a better answer. He listened to Jason’s footsteps on the hardwood floor as he came back into the main room. “It’s fine, Bruce. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Very well,” Bruce sighed, sounding reluctant to let the subject drop. “Dick is coming back to the manor to take up your patrol routes. He seems to know more than I do about this, so I’m sure he’ll want to be paying you a visit.”

“That’s fine.”

“Stay safe, Tim.” Bruce finished, promptly hanging up. Tim moved the phone away from his ear, but didn’t put it down entirely.

“That was… strange.”

“What?” Jason asked, making Tim jump. The elder was suddenly a lot closer than Tim had imagined. “Sorry.”

“Bruce seemed concerned about me.” Tim answered, waving off the quick apology.

“Did Dickie say something?” Tim felt the sofa shift as Jason sat down at the opposite end, beside his feet.

“I don’t think so, we asked him not to. And Bruce didn’t seem to have any idea what’s going on – only that I haven’t been in the field for a while.”

“He just wants to know what’s going on. It’s probably more that you haven’t said anything that’s got him antsy – especially if he knows you’re not dying.” Jason supplied, hand resting warmly on top of Tim’s socked feet. “You’re cold.”

“I’m always cold.” Tim replied, fingers drifting over his phone’s screen and moving his home screen from page to page.

“You should say something, I’ll put the heating on.” Jason moved to get up again, pausing when Tim twitched suddenly, seemingly going to stop him.

“Don’t- I mean, uh. I don’t want to be a bother.” He said shyly, cheeks pinking cutely.

“Timmy, if you’re gonna be living with me for however long, then you’re gonna be comfortable, yeah? If you’re cold then we’ll put the heating on, if you’re hungry then we’ll eat. Don’t go getting shy on me – I can’t tell want you need unless you tell me.” Jason huffed, giving a smile that he knew showed in his voice.

Tim opened his mouth, looking as if he was about to reply, though he cut himself off when the idle playing he had been doing with his phone had made him unknowingly tap on what Jason could only assume was the alarm app, the phone suddenly blaring a loud, screeching alarm that made Tim scream and jump, dropping his phone in the process.

Jason couldn’t help but laugh, Tim sitting in the corner of the sofa with his hand over his heart and his breathing heavy while glaring in the general direction he’d thrown his phone was definitely an amusing sight. The hilarity of the situation only increase when Tim’s mortified scowl was instead turned in Jason’s direction when he realised just how hard the elder was laughing at him.

“Don’t laugh, that scared me!” the younger shouted, though he couldn’t hide the slight giggle at the end of his words. Jason slid off the sofa onto the floor, picking Tim’s phone up from where it’d slid beneath the coffee table, turning the alarm off, tears still in his eyes as his laughed died down.

“Shit, Timbers, you should have seen your face, though.” He said as he pulled himself back up onto the sofa, freezing once he realised what he’d said. He turned to Tim, trying to gage whether he’d upset the younger by his words or not. The smile didn’t fade from Tim’s face.

“Tell me.” He said instead, and the smile returned to Jason’s face when he caught onto what Tim meant.

He began to describe in detail what it had been about what just happened that had been so funny, Tim seeking additions to his short story that lead to Jason describing Tim’s surroundings to him – offering verbal illustrations as best he could for the younger, liking his words to that of which he had read from many of his favourite novels.

It had been when he’d been telling Tim of how he’d bought the dresser he kept a lot of his books in from an old lady who had lived in one of the apartment buildings he had a safe house in, and how he loved how rustic it looked with its dark wood and diamond cut glass doors. Tim had pulled himself up from where he’d been lounging back on the sofa, curling forward onto his hands and knees and steadily feeling his way up the cushions until he found Jason’s side, settling into it with a content sigh.

“Keep going.” He’d said in a quiet voice, curling into the elder’s warmth and resting his head on his shoulder. Jason raised a brow at first, but quickly settled into the new position, resting his arm over Tim’s shoulders and continuing with his story telling. It was nice, comfy – and neither of them moved again for the day until Tim’s tummy began to rumble and they finally decided it was time to eat their forgotten lunch.

But it had been another step in the right direction for Tim, and both were happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, if anyone has any prompts or ideas for this AU they would like me to write please do not hesitate to contact me.
> 
> Visit my tumblr at the-sky-is-a-lie


End file.
